Over the years, I’ve been intrigued by language learning. I studied English from primary school and started learning Spanish in a 3rd-grade. In grade 5, I learned a bit of Russian for a year. Although I wanted to continue Spanish in 6th grade, my only options were Latin or French. I chose Latin, believing it was closer to Spanish at the time. By 9th grade, I was also forced to study Ancient Greek.
In 10th grade, I went on an exchange to Mexico but spoke English and played video games. Before and after the trip, I experimented with many language apps. I spent more time searching for the "best method" than sticking with one. I went down the rabit hole from Duolingo to Pimsleur -> Assimil -> Glossika, Anki + Pimsleur/Language Transfer -> Comprehension and Refold. I also came across the ALG (Automatic Language Growth) method at the time, but didn’t look further into it.
I was sad - despite taking classes in 5–6 languages, I was still 'only' bilingual. Because two of them were dead languages and I never gave the others the time or consistency they needed. Yet, as I prepared for a trip to Thailand, I had an epiphany about language learning.
In 1984, James Marvin Brown began teaching Thai using the ALG method in Bangkok. This approach treats language like a house. Understanding is the foundation. The better the foundation, the more solid the things that build atop. You don't speak or read until a long way into the process. To build Understanding you let the language come onto you, like a small child would. A baby does not have the ability to analyze the etymology of words, all they can do is look, listen and guess.
Also, with ALG, you construct a fresh “house” for each language. You develop an understanding for the language and culture. In traditional learning, you build the "house" on top of your existing one. The words are mere translations and associations. This is the key difference between studying a language and acquiring one.
I can recommend this introduction by David Long, a long time teacher of ALG.
If you learn 1000 words in 2 months you can form sentences with 1000 words. Your speaking will be superior to that of an ALG learner at the time. A friend of David Long went to Thailand a bit before him and learned the standard way. There was a point, when David overtook him in understanding and speaking. And he didn't have to sit down and go through vocabulary decks or take tests.
ALG says that speaking too early can lead to wrong pronunciation. Between 1000 and 1500 hours of immersion, learners start speaking without forcing it. It might seem like that is a long time. But in the end, you reach better results by doing less. In the end, all you do is watch videos and listen to people speak in your target language.
ALG also changes the difficulty of languages. It is easier to learn a language if it is close to your own language or culture. But the main factor is availability of good immersion material.
English, Spanish and Thai are amazing in that regard.
I am baffled that we are not looking more into this method. If what they say is true, schools and language apps are not only wasting our time, but sabotaging our language learning.